Djabe & Steve Hackett – Freya – Arctic Jam (4 Track Reel-to-reel)

Artic Tapes?

New treasured item of the Steve Hackett and Djabe Sardinian style recording collaboration. As with their previous album The Sardinia Tapes, born from a series of jam sessions, Freya features music inspired by the surroundings in which it was made.

4 Track RTM LPR90 tape, 19 cm/s, plastic reel, hinged box with stocker. Besides the studio album contains 4 live bonus audio tracks recorded in Bodø, Norway.

In January of 2024 Djabe & Steve Hackett took part in the BodØ Jazz Open in Norway, hundred kilometres above the Arctic Circle. Djabe & Steve Hackett played one gig at the Svömmehallen Scene and Djabe played another at Dama Di next day. They also recorded a new studio album during their Arctic stay.

˝The organizers rented the Svömmehallen with full equipment for three days, including the day of the performance. It was more than we needed for the rehearsals, so I suggested that we should record some jams in a similar way to what we had done on two occasions in Sardinia a few years back. We did many takes on the 30th January and on the day of the performance on the 31st of January at Svömmehallen. The result was promising so we decided to complete the recordings and prepare the whole album from the Arctic jams. Tamás edited, arranged, mixed and produced once again.

We also recorded with multitrack audio technology at both shows. On 31st January the Svömmehallen Scene and on 1st of February the Dama Di concerts. For this release we added four compositions as a bonus live audio from the Dama Di gig, where Steve joined Djabe for three songs. One of these was the Golden Sand.

The whole stay was extraordinary and magical, in addition, influenced by an extremely strong wind. Bodø was in the news headlines, maybe you heard about it?

We were waiting in the silence for our transport to the Stone Age restaurant near Saltstraumen, while watching the sliding trees from our windows. We were thinking of the lost ship at the Maelstrom where the outer Saltenfjord connects with the Skjerstadfjord, meanwhile a storm was brewing. On the way back we heard the whispers of the woods on the hills. Had anyone seen Freya out there?˝

Attila Égerházi

Steve Hackett | guitar, harmonica
Tamás Barabás | bass guitar, vocal, guitar, tabla, synth program
Attila Égerházi | guitar, percussion
Péter Kaszás | drums, vocal
Áron Koós-Hutás | trumpet, flugelhorn
Zoltán Bubenyák | keyboards